World Forum on Natural Capital closes

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond Edinburgh - Arab Today Organisers of the World Forum on Natural Capital in Edinburgh have sent a reminder that although the inaugural conference is ending – the work must continue and immediate action is required. Over the past two days, 500 delegates from 35 countries have participated in the first global conference on natural capital Speakers have included the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond; Chairman of RBS, Sir Philip Hampton; Director General of IUCN, Julian Matron-Lefevre, Global CEO of Havas, David Jones; President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Peter Bakker; Director of Kering, Jochen Zeitz and Chief Executive of Alliance Trust, Katherine Garrett-Cox. Head of Sustainability for Royal Bank of Scotland, Andrew Cave, said: “The World Forum on Natural Capital has highlighted the need for business to be involved in shaping the debate and turning that debate into action. “This has been a terrific conference, but the work is not over – protecting and rebuilding our natural capital is a vital issue for society and business and requires immediate attention. “RBS is glad to have been the headline sponsor of the World Forum on Natural Capital – it has been a resounding success.” Programme Director of the World Forum on Natural Capital, Jonathan Hughes, said: “The inaugural World Forum on Natural Capital has highlighted that there is a pressing need for businesses, governments, scientists, environmental organisations and communities to work together to tackle the abuse of our natural life-support systems and resources. “There has been a recognition from business that more must be done, simply put – conservation cannot keep up with the pace of depletion of our resources and if we are ever going to close that gap  we need more research, more education, better technology and,  importantly,  the commitment from business to act in all our interests. “If the private sector is to have a future then natural capital must have a future as well. “However, the closing of the World Forum on Natural Capital is actually the beginning of a period of concerted hard work. “The World Forum has been a success, and we are moving closer to addressing unsustainable impacts on the natural environment  but we are still a long way from solving the problem.”